Middle School - Mount Tamalpais School

The Defining Years of Middle School

Grades 6-8

In today's hurry up and grow up era, children can lose some of their childhood – and the emotional growth that comes with it. That's why an MTS education includes more than just a robust, well-rounded academic curriculum. Our middle school students delight in the relationships they develop with younger students on campus through the Buddy Bear program and embrace what it means to be a role model. While taking on leadership roles and developing strong relationships with their teachers, students have the space and time to enjoy childhood, experience joy, and be inspired by learning.

Program Highlights

Middle School students knitting as part of an enrichment course

Advisory & Clubs

Students in grades 6-8 start their school day in one of two ways: meeting in their grade-level advisory group or in a mixed grade-level morning club group. Advisory takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Each middle school student joins up to 10 of their classmates and their advisor for small group activities and discussions. The Advisory program at MTS utilizes elements of IFSEL, Developmental Designs, and Project Wayfinder to help students feel connected and empowered in our community and beyond. Advisory is designed to foster belonging and create a safe environment for taking academic risks.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays students start their day with a mixed grade-level club activity selected by each student every trimester. A different club is chosen for each day from a selection including, ping pong, basketball, chess, volleyball, Mathletes, knitting, board games and art, to name a few. Those students interested in the school's band program choose that band ensemble for the year.

MTS 8th grader in Yosemite above Half Dome

Outdoor Education

Our robust outdoor education program is a long standing Mount Tamalpais School tradition, as well as a cornerstone of the MTS curriculum. Leaving the classroom for the natural world gives our students the tangible experience of being in nature, discovering ecosystems, seeing how things are interconnected, and understanding how the environment is influenced by humans. As our students develop an emotional connection to natural places, the opportunity for personal growth increases. Our outdoor education trips also affords students invaluable opportunities to bond with their classmates outside of the classroom.

Learn more about our Outdoor Education Program.

Enrichment

On Thursday afternoons, middle school students take a deeper dive into the performing, visual, and computer arts programs at MTS. In addition to their weekly classes in the arts and music, Thursday afternoons provide a double block period in which students select an area of focus each trimester. The enrichment classes vary, often including Dance, Scene Study, Guitar, Vocals, African Drumming, Visual Arts, Photoshop, and Photography. Our fall and spring recitals then offer an opportunity for middle school students to showcase their learnings from these classes.

Additional enrichment opportunities can be found in our after school programs. Courses are taught by a mix of MTS faculty and outside professionals. Middle School After the Bell opportunities include an Impromptu Public Speaking class focusing on building speech skills for the Margie Burke Speech Tournament, Mathletes, Mountain Biking, Yoga, Dance, Beginning Voice, and the Spring Recital.

Middle School students performing in the musical, Shrek.

Spring Musical

Every Spring, our middle school students audition for and perform in a musical. Unlike the 4th and 5th grade play, where participation is mandatory, the middle school play offers students an opportunity to choose whether or not they would like to participate. The performing arts department works in depth to prepare students for phenomenal performances. Parent volunteers come together to help with costumes and make up, and professional musicians are hired to accompany the singers.

Learn more about Performing Arts at MTS.

Pictured above: Students performing in the 2019 Spring Musical, Shrek.

High School Counseling

MTS has established a history of very strong high school placement. Bay Area independent and parochial schools, boarding schools, and Marin County public schools are well informed about the strength of our academic, social and emotional, and co-curricular programs. We partner with families at every step in the high school application process, and emphasize finding high schools that best fit each student.

That process, beginning in the spring of 7th grade, is supported by teachers and administrators and is led by our Head of School, Andrew Davis. Andrew is a former high school admission director and enjoys working closely with students and families to lead them through this important process.

Learn more about our High School Counseling program.

Service Learning

The goals of service learning at Mount Tamalpais School are to introduce students to various ways of giving, provide leadership opportunities, offer hands-on activities that have measurable impact, and to experience multiple touch points with our broader community. We hope service learning will empower our students to realize their ability to make a positive difference in our community and the world.

Our middle school students participate in community building services such as volunteering at the SF-Marin Food Bank, trail work, and working with the Redwood Senior Community in Mill Valley.

MTS seeks to nurture and mature the entire person. This is certainly a commitment to an excellent and rigorous education, and a strong commitment to the arts, the physical person, and our emotional lives as well. My kids are not just learning traditional subjects, they are becoming caring and capable people in the world.
– MTS parent in 4th & 8th grade

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging

Gaining Cultural Compentency

At MTS, students build an understanding of identity, diversity, justice, and action. Utilizing an age-appropriate, cross-curricular approach, students explore and investigate different topics such as race, ethnicity, gender, immigration, ableism, human rights, and socioeconomics. By focusing on both celebrating differences and recognizing similarities, we strive for students to adopt a lens of inclusivity in their daily lives as they explore their own identities and become increasingly aware of diverse perspectives. We aim to create a safe space where everyone can be themselves and feel like a valued and respected member of the community.

We Keep Kids Young

Growing Up Isn't About Hurrying Up

MTS graduates have a mature innocence and are confident without being cocky. We believe that our small size, our close student-teacher relationships, and opportunities for the oldest students to connect with our youngest students in meaningful ways helps our students grow up without hurrying up.

Uniforms Help

Critique Literature, Not Outfits

An 8th grade student once said to our Head of School, "We love to complain about the uniforms, but we actually really like them." Our uniform allows our students to focus on what is important- knowledge and goodness. Students are quicker to see the person rather than the brand labels they are wearing.

Selective Technology

Where Technology is Intentional

With a smart-phone in the pocket and iPad on the desk, today's middle school students are asked to be "on" and public 24/7. At MTS, our middle school students get a break from this each school day, as our technology use is intentional, not ubiquitous. Student cell phones are never permitted to be out on campus— if they have a phone, it is powered down in their backpack.

Nick Wilsey

Head of Middle School

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